Force users to sign in to Microsoft Edge browser

This tutorial shows how to force users to sign in to the Microsoft Edge browser on a Windows 11/10 PC. This means that without signing in to an existing profile or creating a new one, users will be unable to browse with the Edge browser, access Settings, or perform any other actions. This can be done using the two native features of Windows 11/10. This tutorial covers a separate step-by-step guide for both options.

Once you have restricted access, whenever you open the Edge browser window, you will see a Sign in button to access your existing profile and an Add Profile option to add or create a new profile. You will also see a message: Your admin needs you to sign in. To use Profile, please sign in or switch to a different account, as highlighted in the image below.

Additionally, the browser window will be fixed to the screen after applying the restrictions. You can’t move or resize the browser window until you sign in to a profile. The only options that will remain active are to minimize the window and close it. Do not worry, as full control remains in your hands. You can undo the changes whenever needed to use the Edge browser as usual.

Force users to sign in to Microsoft Edge browser

There are two ways to force users to sign in to the Microsoft Edge browser on Windows 11/10:

Force users to sign in to Microsoft Edge using Local Group Policy Editor, and
Force users to sign in to the Edge browser using the Registry Editor.

Let’s check both options.

Your admin needs you to sign in. To use Profile, please sign in or switch to a different account

1] Force users to sign in to Microsoft Edge using Local Group Policy Editor

These are the steps to force users to sign in to Microsoft Edge using Local Group Policy Editor:

First, download and install the classic Group Policy templates for Microsoft Edge on your Windows 11/10 PC
Type gpedit.msc in the Search box
Press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor window
Access the Microsoft Edge folder. Use the following path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative templates > Classic Administrative Templates (ADM) > Microsoft Edge

Scroll down the settings on the right section
Look for the Browser sign-in settings and double-click this setting to open it in a separate window
Select the Enabled option
Open the drop-down menu for the Browser sign-in settings option present in the left-middle section
Select the Force users to sign-in to use the browser (all profiles) option
Press the Apply button and then the OK button
Close the Local Group Policy Editor window
Restart File Explorer if needed.

This will prevent you and other users from using the Microsoft Edge browser until you sign in with a profile or add a profile.

To undo the changes, you can follow the above-mentioned steps and open the Browser sign-in settings window. Select Not Configured and press OK.

2] Force users to sign in to the Edge browser using the Registry Editor

You should back up the Windows Registry Editor before tweaking any settings or making any changes to it. Once done, follow these steps to force users to sign in to the Edge browser using the Registry Editor window:

Press Win+R to open the Run Command box
Type regedit in the text field
Hit the Enter key to open the Registry Editor
Access the Microsoft key using this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft

Create a new Registry key. Right-click on the Microsoft key > New > Key
Rename the key to Edge. In case the Edge key is already present, you don’t need to create one
On the right section, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value
Rename the new value to BrowserSignin
Double-click on the BrowserSignin value to open its Edit box
Add 2 in the Value data field
Press OK
Close the Registry Editor window.

To revert the changes, access the Edge Registry key and delete the BrowserSignin DWORD (32-bit) Value. You can also delete the Edge key if no other DWORD (32-bit) values are present.

How do I enforce Edge in browser when accessing business apps?

In the Microsoft Defender portal, access the Edge for Business protection page. For this, access System > Settings > Cloud apps > select Conditional Access App Control > and Edge for Business protection. Enable the Turn on Edge for Business browser protection option. In the Enforce usage of Edge for Business section, select the Allow access only from Edge option or the Enforce access from Edge when possible option to enforce Microsoft Edge browser protection when accessing business apps.

How do I force users to sign in to use the browser?

If you are a Chrome user and want to force users to sign in to use the Chrome browser on your Windows 11/10 system, use the Group Policy settings. Access the Browser sign-in setting in the Group Policy and set this setting to ‘force’. If you don’t find this setting, then first you have to add Google Chrome templates so that you can configure the Chrome browser using Group Policy. Additionally, you can also use the Registry Editor method to force Chrome users to sign in to use the browser.